U.S. patent application number 16/945032 was filed with the patent office on 2021-02-04 for resource management server, control method, and non-transitory storage medium.
The applicant listed for this patent is SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA. Invention is credited to TAKAYOSHI OHKOHCHI, MAKOTO OKUMURA, KAZUKI SATO.
Application Number | 20210034716 16/945032 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005015215 |
Filed Date | 2021-02-04 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20210034716 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SATO; KAZUKI ; et
al. |
February 4, 2021 |
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SERVER, CONTROL METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY
STORAGE MEDIUM
Abstract
A resource management server including a controller, a
communicator that communicates with a license management server
which manages a license, and a storage. The storage stores resource
information. The controller acquires information about a resource
to be activated, acquires license information from the license
management server via the communicator, and, when a plurality of
sets of license information is acquired as the license information,
allocates a license to the resource to be activated based on the
plurality of sets of license information.
Inventors: |
SATO; KAZUKI; (Osaka,
JP) ; OHKOHCHI; TAKAYOSHI; (Osaka, JP) ;
OKUMURA; MAKOTO; (Osaka, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA |
, Osaka |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005015215 |
Appl. No.: |
16/945032 |
Filed: |
July 31, 2020 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 2221/0759 20130101;
G06F 21/105 20130101; G06Q 10/0631 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 21/10 20060101
G06F021/10; G06Q 10/06 20060101 G06Q010/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 31, 2019 |
JP |
2019-141410 |
Claims
1. A resource management server comprising: a controller; a
communicator that communicates with a license management server
which manages a license; and a storage, wherein the storage stores
resource information, and the controller: acquires information
about a resource to be activated; acquires license information from
the license management server via the communicator; and when
acquiring a plurality of sets of license information as the license
information, allocates a license to the resource to be activated
based on the plurality of sets of license information.
2. The resource management server according to claim 1, wherein the
license information includes a license purchase date as an
attribute, and the controller allocates a license to the resource
to be activated in order of the license purchase date, starting
from a license having an earliest purchase date.
3. The resource management server according to claim 1, wherein the
license information includes a license expiration date as an
attribute, and the controller allocates a license to the resource
to be activated in order of a period to the license expiration
date, starting from a license having a longest period to the
expiration date.
4. The resource management server according to claim 1, wherein the
license information includes a number of available devices as an
attribute, and the controller allocates a license to the resource
to be activated in order of the number of available devices,
starting from a license having a largest number of available
devices.
5. The resource management server according to claim 1, wherein the
license information includes an available device as an attribute,
the resource information includes information about a relating
device, and the controller allocates, to the resource to be
activated, a license that provides a best match between a device
relating to the resource and the available device.
6. The resource management server according to claim 1, wherein the
license information includes a number of people as an attribute,
and the controller allocates a license to the resource to be
activated in order of the number of people, starting from a license
having a largest number of people.
7. The resource management server according to claim 1, wherein the
license information includes a maximum number of participants as an
attribute, the resource information includes information about a
maximum capacity, and the controller allocates, to the resource to
be activated, a license having a largest maximum number of
participants among licenses each having a maximum number of
participants less than or equal to the maximum capacity.
8. The resource management server according to claim 1, wherein the
license information includes fee information relating to either a
fixed rate structure or a variable rate structure, the resource
information includes resource usage record information, and the
controller allocates a fixed rate license if a usage record of the
resource is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and
allocates a variable rate license if the usage record of the
resource is less than the predetermined value.
9. The resource management server according to claim 1, wherein the
controller allocates, from all of the acquired licenses including
licenses that have already been allocated, a license to the
resource to be activated based on the plurality of sets of license
information.
10. The resource management server according to claim 1, wherein
the controller: performs control to display the resource
information acquired; and activates displayed resources, starting
from a top displayed resource, based on the license
information.
11. The resource management server according to claim 1, wherein
the resource includes a conference room.
12. A control method for a resource management server including a
controller, a communicator that communicates with a license
management server which manages a license, and a storage that
stores resource information, the control method comprising:
acquiring information about a resource to be activated; acquiring
license information from the license management server via the
communicator; and when acquiring a plurality of sets of license
information as the license information, allocating a license to the
resource to be activated based on the plurality of sets of license
information.
13. A non-transitory storage medium storing a program that is
readable by a computer of a resource management server including a
controller, a communicator that communicates with a license
management server which manages a license, and a storage that
stores resource information, wherein the program causes the
computer to: acquire information about a resource to be activated;
acquire license information from the license management server via
the communicator; and when acquiring a plurality of sets of license
information as the license information, allocate a license to the
resource to be activated based on the plurality of sets of license
information.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
[0001] The present invention relates to a resource management
server and the like.
Description of the Background Art
[0002] In recent years, a subscription model is sometimes adopted
as a usage agreement (license) model for apps (applications) and
devices. In a subscription model agreement, a license is managed
for each user of the app. Further, devices are managed such that,
for example, a license (usage permission) is managed for the
devices placed in each room.
[0003] As a technique for managing the devices placed in each room,
for example, proposed is a technique in which a data server
centrally manages the identification information relating to a
plurality of connected information processing devices (for example,
see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
2018-107484).
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] However, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a
technique for centrally managing identification information
relating to a plurality of connected information processing
devices, and is not a technique for managing device licenses.
Therefore, each time there is a change in the number of devices,
the administrator of the licenses needs to change the content of
the license agreement or the allocation of the licenses.
Specifically, it is necessary for the administrator to
appropriately activate the resources, such that when a device is
newly installed, the installed device is granted with a license,
and when a device is removed, the removed device is no longer
allocated the license. At this time, the administrator is required
to go to the trouble of selecting an appropriate license based on
the content of the license, and grant the license to the
resource.
[0005] In view of the problems described above, the present
invention has an object of providing a resource management server
and the like that are capable of appropriately allocating a license
to a resource based on license information.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Means for Solving the Problem
[0006] In order to solve the problems described above, a resource
management server according to the present invention includes: a
controller; a communicator that communicates with a license
management server which manages a license; and a storage; wherein
the storage stores resource information, and the controller
acquires information about a resource to be activated, acquires
license information from the license management server via the
communicator, and when acquiring a plurality of sets of license
information as the license information, allocates a license to the
resource to be activated based on the plurality of sets of license
information.
[0007] A control method according to the present invention is a
control method of a resource management server including a
controller, a communicator that communicates with a license
management server which manages a license, and a storage that
stores resource information, the method including: acquiring
information about a resource to be activated; acquiring license
information from the license management server via the
communicator; and, when acquiring a plurality of sets of license
information as the license information, allocating a license to the
resource to be activated based on the plurality of sets of license
information.
[0008] A non-transitory storage medium according to the present
invention is a non-transitory storage medium storing a program that
is readable by a computer of a resource management server including
a controller, a communicator that communicates with a license
management server which manages a license, and a storage that
stores resource information, wherein the program causes the
computer to: acquire information about a resource to be activated;
acquire license information from the license management server via
the communicator; and, when acquiring a plurality of sets of
license information as the license information, allocate a license
to the resource to be activated based on the plurality of sets of
license information.
Effects of the Invention
[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to
appropriately allocate a license to a resource based on license
information.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram for describing an overall configuration
of a resource management system according to a first
embodiment.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram for describing a
functional configuration of a resource management server according
to the first embodiment.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of
resource information according to the first embodiment.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of
license information according to the first embodiment.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram for describing a
functional configuration of a license management server according
to the first embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram for describing a
functional configuration of a management terminal device according
to the first embodiment.
[0016] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram for describing the flow of main
processing in a resource management server in the first
embodiment.
[0017] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram for describing the flow of resource
addition processing in the first embodiment.
[0018] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram for describing the flow of license
allocation processing in the first embodiment.
[0019] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation example in the
first embodiment.
[0020] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an operation example according
to the first embodiment.
[0021] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an operation example according
to the first embodiment.
[0022] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an operation example according
to the first embodiment.
[0023] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an operation example according
to the first embodiment.
[0024] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an operation example according
to the first embodiment.
[0025] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of
resource information in a second embodiment.
[0026] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of
license information in the second embodiment.
[0027] FIG. 18 is a flow diagram for describing the flow of license
allocation processing in the second embodiment.
[0028] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing another example of a data
configuration of license information in the second embodiment.
[0029] FIG. 20 is a flow diagram for describing another example of
the flow of license allocation processing in the second
embodiment.
[0030] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of
resource information in a third embodiment.
[0031] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of
license information in the third embodiment.
[0032] FIG. 23 is a flow diagram for describing the flow of license
allocation processing in the third embodiment.
[0033] FIG. 24 is a functional block diagram for describing a
functional configuration of a resource management server in a
fourth embodiment.
[0034] FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of
license information in the fourth embodiment.
[0035] FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of
usage record information in the fourth embodiment.
[0036] FIG. 27 is a flow diagram for describing the flow of license
allocation processing in the fourth embodiment.
[0037] FIG. 28 is a flow diagram for describing the flow of
resource addition processing in a sixth embodiment.
[0038] FIG. 29 is a flow diagram for describing the flow of main
processing in a resource management server in the sixth
embodiment.
[0039] FIG. 30 is a flow diagram for describing the flow of license
allocation processing in the sixth embodiment.
[0040] FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an operation example in the
sixth embodiment.
[0041] FIG. 32A is a diagram showing an operation example in the
sixth embodiment.
[0042] FIG. 32B is a diagram showing an operation example in the
sixth embodiment
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
1. First Embodiment
1.1 Overall Configuration
[0043] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a
resource management system (hereinafter simply referred to as
"system 1") according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG.
1, in the system 1, a resource management server 10, a license
management server 20, and a management terminal device 30 are
connected via a network NW. The network NW is, for example, a local
area network (LAN). The network NW may also be a network such as
the Internet.
[0044] The system 1 is a system that manages resources. Here, a
resource is the name given to a unit managed by the system 1, and
conceptually includes, for example, hardware, software, and users
managed by the system 1. Hereinafter, the present embodiment will
be described using a "conference room" as an example of a resource.
In general, a "conference room" conceptually refers to a location
in which conferences, appointments, and meetings are held (a
conference space). Here, the resource may also refer to a terminal
device inside the conference room, or a terminal device used by the
user hosting the conference. Furthermore, a conference room
represents a unit location in which a conference is held. In
addition to general conference rooms, this includes not only
facilities such as classrooms and meeting spaces where a plurality
of people gather, but also spaces such as the homes of remote
workers. In addition, the conference room may include locations
around the location where the conference is held (such as a
corridor).
[0045] Moreover, the system 1 manages one or more resources. For
example, the system 1 manages resources for each administrator,
business operator, tenant, or manager. For example, when a certain
tenant has five conference rooms, the system 1 manages five
resources.
[0046] The resource management server 10 is an information
processing device that manages the resources. For example, the
resource management server 10 is configured by a computer such as a
server.
[0047] The license management server 20 is an information
processing device that manages the usage agreements (licenses) of
the resources. For example, the license management server 20 is
configured by a computer such as a server.
[0048] The management terminal device 30 is a device used by the
user to manage resources/licenses. For example, the management
terminal device 30 is configured by an information processing
device such as a personal computer (PC).
[0049] Note that the configuration described above is an example,
and the configuration may be changed as appropriate. For example,
when a predetermined terminal device is not used when a resource is
used by the user, the terminal device for using the resource does
not have to be included in the system 1. Furthermore, the resource
management server 10 and the license management server 20 may be
realized by the same device.
[0050] The system 1 may manage the resources and licenses for a
plurality of tenants. However, in the present embodiment, the
description will assume that the resources and licenses are managed
for a single tenant.
1.2 Functional Configuration
1.2.1 Resource Management Server
[0051] Next, the configuration of each device included in the
system 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2
is a diagram for describing a functional configuration of the
resource management server 10. The resource management server 10
includes a controller 100, a communicator 110, and a storage
120.
[0052] The controller 100 is a functional unit for controlling the
resource management server 10 as a whole. The controller 100
realizes various functions by reading and executing various
programs, and is constituted by one or more computation devices
(for example, a central processing unit, or CPU).
[0053] Furthermore, the controller 100 realizes the functions of a
resource manager 102 and a license allocator 104 by reading and
executing a program stored in the storage 120.
[0054] The resource manager 102 manages resources. That is to say,
the resource manager 102 is capable of adding and removing
resources to be managed. The resource manager 102 stores
information relating to the resources being managed as resource
information in a resource information storage area 122.
[0055] When a plurality of sets of license information (hereinafter
referred to as "license information") is acquired from the license
management server 20, the license allocator 104 allocates licenses
to the resources managed by the resource management server 10 based
on an attribute of the licenses. When a license becomes allocated
to a resource, the resource is activated. When the resource is
activated (Active), the user is capable of using the resource. On
the other hand, when the resource is not activated (Inactive), the
user is unable to use the resource. Note that a resource in an
activated state is referred to as an active resource, and a
resource in an inactive state is referred to as an inactive
resource.
[0056] The communicator 110 communicates with other devices such as
the license management server 20, and the management terminal
device 30 via the network NW. The network NW may be connected by
wired connections or wireless connections. For example, the
communicator 110 is constituted by a communication module (data
transceiver) such as a network interface card (NIC) used by a
wired/wireless LAN.
[0057] The storage 120 is a functional unit that stores various
programs and various data required for operation of the resource
management server 10. For example, the storage 120 is constituted
by a storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD), which is a
semiconductor memory, or a hard disk drive (HDD), which is a
magnetic disk.
[0058] Furthermore, in the storage 120, a resource information
storage area 122 and a license information storage area 124 are
provided as storage areas.
[0059] The resource information storage area 122 is an area that
stores information relating to the resources (resource
information). For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the resource
information storage area 122 stores as resource information a
resource ID (for example, "R1") that identifies a resource, a
conference room name (for example, "A-Room") as the name of the
conference room, which is an example of a resource, the location of
the conference room (for example, "AAA building 12th floor"), the
device installed in the conference room (for example, "display
device"), and a license ID (for example, "L1") which identifies the
license allocated to the resource.
[0060] Of the resource information shown in FIG. 3, the conference
room name, the location, and the device are attributes of the
resource, which is a conference room. Therefore, information other
than the information mentioned above (for example, contact
information, available times, and detailed device information) may
be stored as resource information. If resources other than
conference rooms (such as software, devices, or locations) are
managed by the resource management server 10, attributes
corresponding to the managed resources may be stored as resource
information.
[0061] When the resource information does not have a stored license
ID, the resource does not have an allocated license. For example,
in the example of FIG. 3, license ID information is not stored in
the resource information having the resource ID "R5". In this case,
a license is not allocated to the resource having the resource ID
"R5", which indicates that the resource is inactive.
[0062] The license information storage area 124 is an area for
storing license information. For example, the license allocator 104
acquires the license information from the license management server
20.
[0063] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the license information
storage area 124 stores as license information a license ID (for
example, "L1") that identifies the license, the number of licenses
(for example, "5") which represents the number of resources that
the license is capable of activating (the number of licenses that
can be allocated to resources), an expiration date (for example,
"Jun. 3, 2020"), and a purchase date (for example, "Jun. 3,
2017").
[0064] Here, the information such as the number of licenses, the
expiration date, and the purchase date are license attributes. The
license attributes may include, in addition to the information
mentioned above, information about the devices that become
available as a result of the license, information relating to fees,
and the like.
1.2.2 License Management Server
[0065] FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing a functional
configuration of the license management server 20. The license
management server 20 includes a controller 200, a communicator 210,
and a storage 220.
[0066] The controller 200 is a functional unit for controlling the
license management server 20 as a whole. The controller 200
realizes various functions by reading and executing various
programs, and is constituted by one or more computation devices
(for example, a CPU).
[0067] Furthermore, the controller 200 realizes the functions of a
license manager 202 by reading and executing a program stored in
the storage 220.
[0068] The license manager 202 manages the licenses issued to a
tenant. For example, when a tenant business operator or
administrator enters a new license agreement, the license manager
202 registers new license information. Furthermore, when the
expiration date passes, or the agreement is canceled by the tenant
business operator or administrator, the license manager 202 removes
the license information. Furthermore, when the tenant business
operator or administrator enters an agreement to increase in the
number of licenses, the license manager 202 may increase the number
of licenses of the corresponding license. When the tenant business
operator or administrator is issued an extension in the expiration
date of a license, the license manager 202 may update the
expiration date of the corresponding license.
[0069] The communicator 210 is a functional unit for communicating
with other devices such as the resource management server 10 via
the network NW. The network NW may be connected by wired
connections or wireless connections. For example, the communicator
210 is constituted by a communication module (data transceiver)
such as an NIC used by a wired/wireless LAN.
[0070] The storage 220 is a functional unit that stores various
programs and various data required for operation of the license
management server 20. For example, the storage 220 is constituted
by a storage device such as an SSD, which is a semiconductor
memory, or an HDD, which is a magnetic disk.
[0071] Furthermore, a license information storage area 222 is
provided in the storage 220. The license information storage area
222 stores the license information managed by the license manager
202.
1.2.3 Management Terminal Device
[0072] FIG. 6 is a diagram for describing a functional
configuration of the management terminal device 30. The management
terminal device 30 includes a controller 300, a communicator 310, a
display unit 320, an operation input unit 330, and a storage
340.
[0073] The controller 300 is a functional unit for controlling the
management terminal device 30 as a whole. The controller 300
realizes various functions by reading and executing various
programs, and is constituted by one or more computation devices
(for example, a CPU).
[0074] The communicator 310 is a functional unit for communicating
with other devices via the network NW. The network NW may be
connected by wired connections or wireless connections. For
example, the communicator 310 is constituted by a communication
module (data transceiver) such as an NIC used by a wired/wireless
LAN.
[0075] The display unit 320 is a functional unit for displaying
various information. For example, the display unit 320 is
constituted by a display device such as a liquid crystal display
(LED) or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display.
[0076] The operation input unit 330 is a functional unit that
accepts operation inputs from the user. The operation input unit
330 is configured by an external input device such as a keyboard or
a mouse.
[0077] The storage 340 is a functional unit that stores various
programs and various data required for operation of the management
terminal device 30. For example, the storage 340 is constituted by
a storage device such as an SSD, which is a semiconductor memory,
or an HDD, which is a magnetic disk.
1.3 Processing Flow
[0078] Next, the processing of the resource management server 10 in
the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the flow of main processing executed as
a result of the controller 100 of the resource management server 10
reading a program from the storage 120.
[0079] The controller 100 firstly performs control that displays
the resources in a list (step S102). For example, the controller
100 reads resource information from the resource information
storage area 122, and transmits the read resource information to
the management terminal device 30.
[0080] The controller 100 may rearrange the resource information
read from the resource information storage area 122 before
transmitting it to the management terminal device 30. The
arrangement order of the resource information may be in order of
the resource ID, in order based on a resource attribute (for
example, in order based on the names of the resources (the
conference room name in the present embodiment) or in order of the
number or types of devices), in the order in which the resources
were added, or the like. Furthermore, the arrangement order of the
resource information may be a grouping according to whether or not
a license has been allocated to the resource. The arrangement order
of the resource information may be set in advance or specified by
the user. The user may also select whether the arrangement order is
an ascending order or a descending order.
[0081] When the resource information is received, the management
terminal device 30 displays resource attributes such as the names
of the resources (conference room names in the present embodiment)
on the display unit 320. Furthermore, when information is stored in
the license ID field of the resource information, the management
terminal device 30 may discriminatively display the resource to
indicate that it is an active resource. For example, the management
terminal device 30 displays the background color of the area in
which the attributes of active resources are displayed in a
different color to the background color of the area in which the
attributes of inactive resources are displayed. The management
terminal device 30 may indicate whether or not a resource is an
active resource by displaying an icon or text. It may also display
the area in which the attributes of inactive resources are
displayed grayed out so as to make the active resources stand
out.
[0082] Next, the controller 100 determines whether or not a request
to add a resource has been made (step S104). The request to add a
resource is transmitted, for example, from the management terminal
device 30 based on a user operation. If a request to add a resource
has been made, the resource manager 102 executes resource addition
processing (step S104; YES.fwdarw.step S106). The resource addition
processing will be described with reference to FIG. 8.
[0083] The resource manager 102 firstly acquires information
relating to addable resources (step S142), and generates a list
display of the acquired addable resources (step S144). Then, the
resource manager 102 stores the resource that has been selected
from among the resources in the list displayed in the resource
information storage area 122 (step S146).
[0084] Here, the addable resources may be applied by an external
service or may be input by the user.
[0085] Returning to FIG. 7, the controller 100 determines whether
or not information about a resource to be activated has been
acquired (step S108). The information about the resource to be
activated is information that enables the resource to be activated
to be specified. For example, it is the resource IDs of one or more
resources selected by the user to be activated. In this case, the
controller 300 of the management terminal device 30 transmits the
information about the resource to be activated to the resource
management server 10 when the user selects the resource to be
activated. Furthermore, the controller 100 of the resource
management server 10 determines that the information about the
resource to be activated has been acquired when the information
about the resource to be activated is received from the management
terminal device 30. Note that the controller 100 may acquire the
information about the resource to be activated from a device
connected to the network NW, or acquire the information based on a
user operation performed with respect to the resource management
server 10.
[0086] When the information about the resource to be activated is
acquired, the controller 100 acquires license information from the
license management server 20 via the communicator 110 (step S108;
Yes.fwdarw.step S110). The controller 100 stores the acquired
license information in the license information storage area
124.
[0087] Then, the controller 100 determines whether or not a
plurality of sets of license information was acquired in step S110
(step S112). If a plurality of sets of license information was
acquired, the license allocator 104 performs license allocation
processing (step S112; Yes.fwdarw.step S114).
[0088] In the present embodiment, the license allocator 104
allocates a license to the resource to be activated based on a date
attribute. As the method of allocating a license based on a date
attribute, for example, methods that allocate a license in the
following order can be considered.
[0089] (1) In order from the longest period until the expiration
date
[0090] (2) In order from the shortest period until the expiration
date
[0091] (3) In order from the earliest license purchase date
[0092] Here, an example of the license allocation processing will
be described with reference to FIG. 9. Note that FIG. 9 is a
diagram showing the processing flow for allocating a license to a
resource in order from the longest period until the expiration
date.
[0093] First, the license allocator 104 extracts the license
information having the longest period until the expiration date
(step S162). For example, the license allocator 104 reads the
license information stored in the license information storage area
124, and extracts the license information storing the latest date
as the expiration date.
[0094] Then, the license allocator 104 selects one resource from
the resources to be activated (step S164). For example, the license
allocator 104 extracts one piece of resource information from the
information about the resources to be activated acquired in step
S110. If there is a plurality of resources to be activated, the
license allocator 104 may, for example, extract the resource
information in order of the resource IDs or in the order in which
the resources were added.
[0095] Next, the license allocator 104 determines whether or not
the currently extracted license can be allocated (step S166). A
license can be allocated when the following conditions are
satisfied.
[0096] (1) The license is not in the number of licenses allocated
to the displayed number of resources
[0097] (2) The expiration date of the license has not passed
[0098] For example, (1) is determined as a result of the license
allocator 104 calculating a value obtained by subtracting the
number of resources storing the license ID of the currently
extracted license from the number of licenses associated with the
currently extracted license. If the calculated value is positive,
the license allocator 104 determines that the license is not in the
number of licenses allocated to the displayed number of
resources.
[0099] If the license can be allocated, the license allocator 104
allocates the license to the resource selected in step S164 (step
S166; Yes.fwdarw.step S168). For example, the license allocator 104
reads from the resource information storage area 162 the resource
information corresponding to the information about the resource
extracted in step S164, and stores the license ID of the license
information extracted in step S162.
[0100] On the other hand, if the license cannot be allocated, the
license allocator 104 extracts the license having the next longest
period until the expiration date (step S166; No.fwdarw.step S170).
Then, the license allocator 104 returns to step S166.
[0101] Then, the license allocator 104 determines whether or not
all of the resources corresponding to the information about the
resources to be activated acquired in step S110 have been extracted
(step S172). If all of the resources have been extracted, the
license allocator 104 ends the license allocation processing (step
S172; Yes). On the other hand, if all of the resources have not
been extracted, the flow returns to step S164 (step S172;
No.fwdarw.step S164).
[0102] The license allocator 104 may end the license allocation
processing before all of the resources to be activated have been
extracted if there are no licenses that can be allocated.
[0103] In step S112 of FIG. 7, if one set of license information is
acquired in step S110, the controller 100 stores the license ID of
the license information acquired in step S112 in the license ID
field of the resource information of the resource to be activated
(step S116). That is to say, when one set of license information is
acquired, the controller 100 allocates the one acquired license to
the resource to be activated.
[0104] As a result of the above processing, licenses can be
allocated to the resources to be activated in order from the
resource having the longest period until the expiration date. If
the licenses are allocated in order from the shortest period until
the expiration date, the license allocator 104 extracts the license
having the shortest period until the expiration date in step S164,
and extracts the license having the next shortest period until the
expiration date in step S170. If the licenses are allocated in
order from the earliest purchase date, the license allocator 104
extracts the license having the earliest purchase date in step
S164, and extracts the license having the next earliest purchase
date in step S170.
1.4 Operation Example
[0105] An operation example of the present embodiment will be
described. Note that it is assumed that the licenses shown in FIG.
4 are being managed in advance in the license management server 20
by the tenant business operator or administrator. Specifically, it
is assumed that a license (license ID "L1") whose number of
licenses is "3" and having an expiration date of "Jun. 3, 2020", a
license (license ID "L2") whose number of licenses is "2" and
having an expiration date of "Mar. 31, 2020", and a license
(license ID "L3") whose number of licenses is "5" and having an
expiration date of "Dec. 31, 2019" have been issued. Furthermore,
it is assumed that the license allocator 104 rearranges the license
information in order from the expiration date which is farthest
from the current date.
[0106] FIG. 10 is an example of a display screen W100 displayed on
the display unit 320 when the user uses the management terminal
device 30 to connect to the resource management server 10. The
display screen W100 includes an area E100 that displays a resource
list, and a button B100 to add a resource. Here, the management
terminal device 30 receives the resource information from the
resource management server 10, and reads the resource attributes to
be displayed in the area E100 from the received resource
information. FIG. 10 is an example of the display screen W100 in a
case where there are no resources managed by the resource
management server 10. Therefore, information such as resource
attributes are not displayed in the area E100.
[0107] FIG. 11 is an example of a display screen W110 displayed on
the display unit 320 when the user selects the button B100 on the
display screen W100. The display screen W110 includes an area E110
that displays a list of information relating to addable resources
(external resources) acquired from an external service. As shown in
FIG. 11, for example, the area E110 may be included inside a popup
window. The user selects the desired external resources to be added
from the area E110, and selects a button B110 for adding the
selected external resources. As a result, the user is capable of
adding the selected external resources as resources to be
managed.
[0108] FIG. 12 is an example of a display screen W120 displayed on
the display unit 320 when a total of five external resources are
added by the user as resources to be managed. In this case, the
system 1 indicates that a certain tenant has five conference rooms.
The display screen W120 includes an area E120 that displays
resources in a list. The area E120 displays, for the resources
added by the user, information such as the conference room name,
the location, and devices, which are resource attributes. Note
that, as shown in the example of FIG. 12, the device information
may be represented by an icon that indicates the device type.
[0109] The resource is inactive at the stage the resource is added.
In the example of FIG. 12, the text "Inactive", which indicates
that the resource is inactive, is displayed to the left of the
conference room name, which is a resource attribute.
[0110] FIG. 13 is an example of a display screen W130 displayed on
the display unit 320 when four resources are selected. In the
display screen W130, a check mark is displayed in a check box to
indicate that the resource is selected. The user is able to switch
between displaying/not displaying the check mark by selecting the
check box with a mouse or the like.
[0111] If a button B130 for allocating licenses is selected when
one or more resources are selected, the management terminal device
30 transmits the resource IDs of the selected resources to the
resource management server 10. In the example of FIG. 13, four
resources are selected. Therefore, four resource IDs are
transmitted from the management terminal device 30 to the resource
management server 10.
[0112] The resource management server 10 receives four resource IDs
from the management terminal device 30 as information about the
resources to be activated. The resource management server 10
stores, for each resource ID, a license ID in the resource
information storing the resource ID. The resource management server
10 acquires license information from the license management server
20, and stores, in the resource information, the order of the
license IDs after arranging the licenses in order from the license
expiration date which is farthest from the current date.
[0113] Here, the license having the expiration date which is
farthest from the current date is the license having the license ID
"L1". Therefore, the resource management server 10 allocates the
license to three of the four resources to be activated.
Furthermore, the license having the expiration date which is next
farthest from the current date is the license having the license ID
"L2". Therefore, the resource management server 10 allocates the
license with respect to one of the four resources to be activated.
Then, the resource management server 10 transmits resource
information to the management terminal device 30 again.
[0114] FIG. 14 is an example of a display screen W140 displayed on
the display unit 320 after the licenses have been allocated. The
display screen W140 includes an area E140 that displays the
resources in a list. The area E140 displays the attributes of the
four resources selected on the display screen W130 of FIG. 13.
Furthermore, the text "Active", which indicates that the resource
is active, is displayed to the left of the conference room name,
which is a resource attribute. The user is capable of recognizing
the active resources by viewing the resource information displayed
with the text "Active".
[0115] Note that, in the screens shown in FIG. 10 to FIG. 14, which
include an area which displays the resources in a list, a button or
the like may be displayed which enables an operation such as
removing an allocated license from a resource, or removing a
resource.
[0116] For example, when an active resource is selected, a button
that removes the allocated license from the selected resource may
be selectable. If the button that removes the allocated license is
selected by the user, the controller 100 of the resource management
server 10 stores the resource information after removing the
license ID from the resource information of the selected resource.
As a result, the resource becomes inactive.
[0117] Furthermore, when an inactive resource is selected, in
addition to a button that allocates a license, a button that
removes the selected resource may be selectable. If the button that
removes the resource is selected by the user, the resource manager
102 of the resource management server 10 removes the resource
information of the selected resource from the resource information
storage area 122. As a result, the resource selected by the user is
excluded from the resources managed by the resource management
server 10.
[0118] If an active resource and an inactive resource are selected,
a button that removes the allocation may be selectable, and the
allocation may be removed from the active resource among the
selected resources.
[0119] Furthermore, if the button that allocates a license is
selected, the resource management server 10 or the management
terminal device 30 may compare the number of licenses that can be
allocated to resources with the number of resources to be
activated, and determine whether or not the licenses can be
allocated. If the number of resources to be activated exceeds the
number of licenses that can be allocated to resources, for example,
the resource management server 10 notifies the management terminal
device 30 that there are not enough licenses. Instead of
transmitting the resource IDs of the selected resources, the
management terminal device 30 may display on the display unit 320 a
display indicating that there are not enough licenses. Furthermore,
if the number of resources to be activated exceeds the number of
licenses that can be allocated to resources, the management
terminal device 30 may cancel the selected state of the resources
and prompt the user to select the resources again.
[0120] Moreover, the management terminal device 30 may display a
screen that displays license information. For example, FIG. 15 is
an example of a display screen W150 which displays license
information in a list. The display screen W150 includes an area
E150 displaying a summary of the licenses issued to the tenant
business operator or administrator. The area E152, area E154, and
area E156 display information about each of the licenses. The
license summary and information about each of the licenses are
displayed as a result of the management terminal device 30
receiving the license information stored in the license information
storage area 124 from the resource management server 10.
[0121] The area E150 stores information such as the total number of
issued licenses, the number of licenses that have been allocated to
resources, and the number of licenses that have not been allocated
to resources. Furthermore, the area E152, the area E154, and the
area E156 each display the number of licenses and the expiration
date. The number of areas provided displaying information about
each of the licenses is equivalent to the number of pieces of
license information received from the resource management server
10. The user is capable of recognizing the license information by
viewing the display screen W150.
[0122] The controller 100 may determine, at a predetermined timing,
whether or not the license allocated to a resource is active. When
a license is active, the license is managed by the license
management server 20, and is within the expiration date. For
example, the controller 100 transmits the license ID to the license
management server 20 periodically, or before performing a control
that displays the resources in a list, and receives the result of
whether or not the license is active from the license management
server 20. If the license is not active, the controller 100 removes
the license ID information from the resource information and stores
the resource information again. As a result, the controller 100 is
capable of performing a control that displays the resources in a
list after resolving the situation where an inactive license is
allocated to a resource. The license management server 20 may
transmit a notification to the resource management server 10 when a
license expires. In this case, the resource management server 10
may remove, based on the received notification, the license ID
information from the resource information of the resource to which
the expired license was allocated, and store the resource
information again.
[0123] According to the present embodiment, it is possible to
allocate a license to a resource based on, among the license
attributes, date-related information. For example, by allocating
licenses to the resources in order from the expiration date which
is farthest from the current date, the user is capable of reducing
the trouble of allocating licenses as much as possible.
Furthermore, by allocating licenses to the resources in order from
the expiration date which is nearest from the current date, the
user is able to prevent licenses with a near expiration date from
being left unallocated, or prevent licenses from expiring and being
wasted. In addition, when the expiration date of the license takes
the form of a fixed period (for example, one year) from the start
of use of the license, by allocating the licenses to the resources
in order from the earliest license purchase date, the licenses
expire in order from those allocated earliest to a resource. As a
result, the tenant business owner or administrator is capable of
reducing the complexity of license management without worrying
about which licenses are allocated to the resources.
2. Second Embodiment
[0124] Next, a second embodiment will be described. Unlike the
first embodiment, the second embodiment is an embodiment in which
the resource information and the license information store function
and device information, and licenses are allocated to the resources
based on the function information. The description of the second
embodiment will mainly describe the aspects that are different from
the first embodiment.
[0125] A function in the present embodiment refers to a function
which can be executed or used with a resource when the user uses
the resource. Because the resource is a conference room in the
present embodiment, the resource information stores information
about functions that can be executed or used when the user uses the
conference room.
[0126] In the present embodiment, the functions that can be
executed or used when the user uses the conference room are
referred to as conference functions. Furthermore, a device may be
provided which is used when the user uses a conference function. In
addition, the device may be capable of using a function that
supports the use of the conference function.
[0127] For example, the conference functions include the following
functions.
(1) Voice Operation Function
[0128] This is a function that enables voice operations using a
smart speaker. A voice operation refers to, for example, an
operation that starts or ends a conference, specifies and displays
materials, or turns the pages of the materials by voice. In order
to realize the voice operation function, the conference room may be
provided with devices including a display device such as an
interactive white board (IWB), a voice input device such as a smart
speaker, and a built-in PC to which the display device and the
voice input device are connected. Furthermore, the built-in PC may
be capable of using a function that supports the correspondence
between the display device and the voice input device.
[0129] (2) Video Conferencing Function
[0130] This is a function that enables online conferencing using
images and voice between one or more remote locations. In order to
realize the video conferencing function, the conference room may be
provided with a capture device such as a camera, a voice input
device such as a microphone, a display device such as an IWB, and a
built-in PC. Furthermore, the built-in PC may be capable of using a
function that supports the connections to the remote locations, and
a function that realizes a screen sharing function.
(3) Voice Conferencing Function
[0131] This is a function that enables online conferencing using
voice between one or more remote locations. In order to realize the
voice conferencing function, the conference room may be provided
with a voice input device such as a microphone, and a built-in PC.
Furthermore, the built-in PC may be capable of using a function
that supports the connections to the remote locations.
(4) Device Casting Function
[0132] This is a function that enables the video of a portable
terminal device (such as a notebook computer or a tablet) brought
in by the user to be displayed on a display device provided in the
conference room. In order to realize the device casting function,
the conference room is provided with a display device such as an
IWB, a casting device for displaying the screen displayed on the
portable terminal device brought in by the user on the display
device, and the like.
2.1 Resource Information
[0133] The resource information of the present embodiment will be
described with reference to FIG. 16. In the present embodiment, the
conference room name, the location, and the conference functions
that can be executed or used by the user when the resource is used
(for example, "video conferencing function, voice conferencing
function") are stored in the resource information as
attributes.
[0134] In the example of FIG. 16, the conference room having the
resource ID "R1" is a conference room in which the video
conferencing function and the voice conferencing function can be
used. On the other hand, the conference room having the resource ID
"R3" is a conference room in which neither of the conference
functions can be used.
2.2 License Allocation Processing
[0135] Next, the license allocation processing executed by the
license allocator 104 will be described. The license allocator 104
executes license allocation processing according to one of two
methods based on the attributes stored in the license
information.
2.2.1 Method Based on Number of Available Conference Functions
[0136] This is a method executed by the license allocator 104 when
the number of available conference functions is stored as an
attribute in the license information. The number of available
conference functions refers to the number of conference functions
that can be used by the user if that license is allocated.
[0137] FIG. 17 shows the license information when this method is
executed by the license allocator 104. As shown in FIG. 17, the
license information stores the number of available conference
functions as a license attribute. The number of available
conference functions stores an integer of 0 or more, or "unlimited"
when the number of available conference functions is not
limited.
[0138] The license allocation processing of the present embodiment
will be described with reference to FIG. 18. In the license
allocation processing of the present embodiment, the license
allocator 104 extracts, among the license information stored in the
license information storage area 124, the license having the
largest number of available conference functions (step S202). Note
that the license allocator 104 treats the license information
having an "unlimited" number of available conference functions as
the license information having the largest number of available
conference functions.
[0139] Furthermore, the license allocator 104 extracts the resource
having the largest number of conference functions from the
resources to be activated (step S204).
[0140] Then, if the currently extracted license can be allocated,
the license allocator 104 allocates the currently extracted license
to the currently extracted resource (step S166; Yes.fwdarw.step
S168). On the other hand, if the currently extracted license cannot
be allocated, the license allocator 104 extracts the license having
the next largest number of available conference functions (step
S166; No.fwdarw.step S206).
[0141] Then, the license allocator 104 determines whether or not
all of the resource information corresponding to the information
about the resources to be activated has been extracted (step S172).
If all of the resources to be activated have been extracted, the
license allocator 104 ends the license allocation processing (step
S172; Yes). On the other hand, if all of the resources to be
activated have not been extracted, the resource having the next
largest number of conference functions is extracted from the
resources to be activated, and the flow returns to step S166 (step
S172; No.fwdarw.step S208.fwdarw.step S166).
[0142] In addition to the information about the number of available
conference functions, the license information may store information
about unavailable conference functions. For example, information
indicating that the number of available conference functions is
"1", and information indicating that the "video conferencing
function" is an unavailable conference function may be stored. If
such a license is allocated to a conference room in which the video
conferencing function and the voice conferencing function are
available, the user is unable to use the video conferencing
function. In this case, the user is unable to use devices such as a
camera for video conferencing, and is unable to use the screen
sharing function using a PC which is built into the conference
room. Therefore, only the voice conferencing function is available.
Note that, even in this case, devices such as the camera may be
made available for functions and uses (for example, capturing
materials) other than the unavailable conference function (for
example the video conferencing function).
[0143] As a result of the license allocator 104 executing the
license allocation processing described above, licenses having the
largest number of available conference functions can be allocated
in order from the resource having the largest number of conference
functions. Consequently, the resource management server 10 is
capable of making many functions available to the user.
Furthermore, although licenses having a larger number of available
conference functions generally have a higher cost, the resource
management server 10 is able to prevent licenses having a high cost
from being left unallocated to the user.
2.2.2 Method Based on Type of Available Conference Functions
[0144] This is a method executed by the license allocator 104 when
the type of available conference functions is stored as an
attribute in the license information.
[0145] FIG. 19 shows the license information when this method is
executed by the license allocator 104. As shown in FIG. 19, the
license information stores, for each available conference function,
information indicating whether or not the available conference
function is available as an attribute. For example, the resources
having the voice operation function available to the user store
"available" as the voice operation function attribute. On the other
hand, the resources which do not have the voice operation function
available to the user store "unavailable" as the voice operation
function attribute.
[0146] The license allocation processing of the present embodiment
will be described with reference to FIG. 20. In the license
allocation processing of the present embodiment, the license
allocator 104 firstly extracts one resource from the resources to
be activated (step S164).
[0147] Then, the license allocator 104 extracts a license which can
be allocated to the resource from the license information storage
area 124 (step S222). For example, the license allocator 104 reads
the license information stored in the license information storage
area 124, and determines for each set of license information
whether or not the license can be allocated in the same manner as
step S166 of the first embodiment. Then, the license allocator 104
extracts the license information of the licenses for which it has
determined that the license can be allocated.
[0148] Next, the license allocator 104 calculates, for each license
extracted in step S222, the number of conference functions that
would become available when the license is allocated to the
resource extracted in step S162 (step S224). For example, the
license allocator 104 calculates, for each set of license
information extracted in step S222, the number of matches between
the conference functions stored as being "available" in the license
information and the conference functions stored in the resource
information corresponding to the resource extracted in step
S162.
[0149] Then, the license allocator 104 determines the license
having the largest number calculated in step S224, that is to say,
the license that provides the best match with the conference
functions relating to the resource (step S226). Then, the license
allocator 104 allocates the license determined in step S226 to the
resource extracted in step S162 (step S168).
[0150] Generally, a license having a larger number of available
conference functions has a higher cost. Therefore, a license having
a smaller number of available conference functions may be issued.
Even in such a case, the license allocator 104 is capable of
allocating a license that matches a large number of conference
functions serving as resource attributes by executing the license
allocation processing described above. Therefore, the resource
management server 10 is capable of allocating a license matching
the resource by allocating a license that provides matches with
respect to a large number of conference functions. Further, if the
licenses are allocated all at once, it is possible for the user to
avoid incurring excessive costs.
[0151] Note that, the description above assumes that the resource
information and the license information store information relating
to the conference functions. However, device information may be
stored instead of the information relating to the conference
functions. In this case, the license information stores the number
of available devices and information about the available devices as
attributes.
[0152] If the license information stores the number of available
devices, the license allocator 104 allocates licenses having a
large number of available devices in order from the resources
having the largest number of devices. As a result, the license
allocator 104 is capable of making many devices available to the
user.
[0153] If a license which has an unlimited number of available
devices is allocated to a conference room, the user is capable of
using the devices provided in the conference room without
restriction. On the other hand, if a license which does not have an
unlimited number of available devices is allocated to a conference
room, the user is capable of using, among the devices provided in
the conference room, the number of devices defined in the license.
The license information may store information about unavailable
conference devices (for example, the smart speaker or the IWB).
[0154] Furthermore, if device information is stored in the license
information, the license allocator 104 allocates a license after
determining the license information of the license that provides
the best match with the devices related to the resource.
[0155] According to the present embodiment, the resource management
server is capable of allocating an appropriate license to a
resource based on function and device information.
3. Third Embodiment
[0156] Next, a third embodiment will be described. Unlike the first
embodiment, the third embodiment is an embodiment in which the
resource management server allocates licenses to resources based on
information about the number of people. The description of the
third embodiment will mainly describe the aspects that are
different from the first embodiment.
3.1 Resource Information and License Information
[0157] The resource information of the present embodiment will be
described with reference to FIG. 21. In the present embodiment, the
attributes stored in the resource information are the conference
room name, the location, and the maximum capacity. The maximum
capacity is the number of users that can be accommodated in the
conference room serving as the resource.
[0158] The license information of the present embodiment will be
described with reference to FIG. 22. In the present embodiment, the
attributes stored in the license information are the number of
licenses, the maximum number of participants, and the expiration
date. The maximum number of participants indicates the upper limit
in the number of people that can participate in a conference.
Furthermore, it also indicates that the license can be allocated to
a resource when the maximum number of participants is less than or
equal to the maximum capacity. For example, it indicates that a
license having a maximum number of participants of 50 people can be
allocated to a resource having a maximum capacity of 50 or more
people.
3.2 License Allocation Processing
[0159] Next, the license allocation processing executed by the
license allocator 104 will be described. The license allocator 104
executes license allocation processing according to one of the two
following methods.
3.2.1 Method of Allocating Licenses in Order from Largest Maximum
Number of Participants
[0160] The license allocator 104 executes processing having a
modification to part of the license allocation processing shown in
FIG. 18.
[0161] Specifically, in step S202, the license allocator 104
extracts the license having the largest maximum number of
participants.
[0162] In step S204, the license allocator 104 extracts the
resource having the largest maximum capacity among the resources to
be activated.
[0163] In step S166, the license allocator 104 further determines
whether or not the following condition is met as a condition that
the license can be allocated.
(3) The Maximum Capacity of the Resource is Greater than or Equal
to the Maximum Number of Participants of the License
[0164] As a result of adding this determination, it is possible to
limit the number of users to the maximum capacity even when the
number of users indicated by the maximum number of participants use
the resource. Specifically, if there is a license with 40 people
and a license with 60 people as the maximum number of participants,
the license allocator 104 determines that the license with a
maximum number of participants of 60 people cannot be allocated to
a resource with a maximum capacity of 50 people. As a result of
this determination, it is possible to avoid, for example, a
situation where a resource having a maximum capacity of 50 people
is used by 60 users.
[0165] In step S206, the license allocator 104 extracts the license
having the next largest number of available conference
functions.
[0166] In step S208, the license allocator 104 extracts the
resource having the next largest number of conference functions
from the resources to be activated.
[0167] As a result of the processing described above, the license
allocator 104 is capable of allocating licenses to the resources
having the largest maximum capacity among the resources to be
activated in order from the license having the largest maximum
number of conference participants. Furthermore, although licenses
having a larger maximum number of participants generally have a
higher cost, the resource management server 10 is able to prevent
licenses having a high cost from being left unallocated to the
user.
3.2.2 Method of Allocating Licenses with Maximum Number of
Participants Less Than or Equal to Maximum Capacity
[0168] The license allocator 104 executes processing having a
modification to part of the license allocation processing shown in
FIG. 20. A detailed processing flow is shown in FIG. 23.
[0169] The license allocator 104 extracts one resource to be
activated, extracts the licenses that can be allocated, and then
extracts the licenses such that the maximum capacity is greater
than or equal to the maximum number of participants (step S322).
For example, the license allocator 104 calculates, for each set of
license information stored in the license information storage area
124, a value obtained by subtracting the maximum number of
participants stored in the license information from the maximum
capacity stored in the license information of the license extracted
in step S164. Then the license allocator 104 extracts license
information in which the calculated value is 0 or more.
[0170] Then, the license allocator 104 determines the license
having the largest maximum number of participants among the
licenses extracted in step S322 (step S324). Further, the license
allocator 104 allocates the license determined in step S364 to the
resource extracted in step S164 (step S168).
[0171] As a result of the processing described above, the license
allocator 104 allocates to the resource the license with the
largest maximum number of participants among the licenses that can
be allocated to the maximum capacity of the conference room.
Therefore, a license that matches the maximum capacity can be
allocated.
[0172] Generally, the cost of a license increases as the number of
people capable of using the resources, such as the maximum number
of participants, increases. According to the present embodiment,
the license allocator 104 of the resource management server 10 is
capable of allocating a license which matches the maximum capacity
of the conference room. Further, if the licenses are allocated all
at once, it is possible for the user to avoid incurring excessive
costs.
[0173] According to the present embodiment, the resource management
server is capable of allocating an appropriate license to a
resource based on information about the number of people.
4. Fourth Embodiment
[0174] Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. Unlike the
first embodiment, the fourth embodiment is an embodiment in which
the resource management server allocates an appropriate license to
a resource which is selected from a fixed rate license or a
variable rate license based on a resource usage record. The
description of the fourth embodiment will mainly describe the
aspects that are different from the first embodiment.
4.1 Functional Configuration
[0175] A functional configuration of the resource management server
12 of the present embodiment is shown in FIG. 24. The resource
management server 12 of the present embodiment differs from the
resource management server 10 of the present embodiment in that a
usage record information storage area 126 is further provided in
the storage 120.
[0176] Next, the license information of the present embodiment will
be described with reference to FIG. 25. In the present embodiment,
the attributes stored in the license information are the number of
licenses, the fee structure, and the expiration date. As shown in
FIG. 25, the fee structure stores whether the license has a fixed
rate or a variable rate, and information relating to the fee for
using the resource.
[0177] In the present embodiment, a fixed rate license refers to a
license that generates a fixed fee over a predetermined period (for
example, one month), irrespective of usage frequency or duration of
the resource by the user. For example, in FIG. 25, the license
having the license ID "L2" indicates that it is a license that
generates a fee of 120,000 yen per month, irrespective of the usage
frequency or duration of the resource. On the other hand, a
variable rate license refers to a license that generates a fee
corresponding to the usage frequency or duration of the resource.
For example, in FIG. 25, the license having the license ID "L1"
indicates that it is a license that generates a fee of 9,000 yen
per hour of usage duration of the resource.
[0178] Next, the usage record information stored in the usage
record information storage area 126 of the present embodiment will
be described with reference to FIG. 26. In the present embodiment,
a usage record refers to a cumulative value of the usage frequency
or usage duration of a resource in a predetermined period.
Furthermore, the information relating to the usage record is
referred to as usage record information.
[0179] The usage record information storage area 126 is an area
that stores usage record information. For example, as shown in FIG.
26, the usage record information storage area 126 stores, as usage
record information, a resource ID (for example, "R1") that
identifies the resource, a previous usage period (for example, Jul.
2, 2019, 13:00 to 15:00), a previous usage duration (for example,
"2 hours"), a cumulative usage frequency (for example, 3 times")
that indicates the usage frequency of the resource over the
cumulative aggregation period, a cumulative usage duration (for
example, "6 hours") that indicates a cumulative value of the usage
duration of the resource over the cumulative aggregation period,
and the cumulative aggregation period (for example, Jul. 1, 2019 to
Jul. 31, 2019).
[0180] The cumulative aggregation period is the period over which
the past usage duration and usage frequency of the resource are
aggregated. The cumulative aggregation period is, for example, a
one-month period from the start to the end of the current month.
The length of the cumulative aggregation period and the start date
and end date of the cumulative aggregation period are, for example,
set by the tenant business operator or administrator. Note that the
cumulative aggregation period may be a past period such as the
previous month.
[0181] Furthermore, the resource management server 12 stores the
usage record information based on information which includes, for
example, the resource usage periods transmitted from a terminal
device provided in the conference room serving as the resource, or
from a server that stores the usage record of the resource. In this
case, the resource management server 12 stores the received usage
period information as the previous usage period in the usage record
information for the corresponding resource. Furthermore, the
resource management server 12 calculates the previous usage
duration based on the usage period information, and respectively
stores the calculated value as the previous usage duration, the
cumulative usage duration as the time obtained after adding the
previous usage duration to the cumulative usage duration, and the
cumulative usage frequency as the value obtained after adding 1 to
the cumulative usage frequency.
4.2 Processing Flow
[0182] Next, the license allocation processing executed by the
resource management server 12 in the present embodiment will be
described with reference to FIG. 27.
[0183] First, the license allocator 104 extracts one resource to be
activated, and extracts the usage record information of the
extracted resource from the usage record information storage area
126 (step S164.fwdarw.step S402).
[0184] Then, the license allocator 104 determines whether or not
the usage record of the resource during the cumulative aggregation
period is a predetermined value or more (step S404). The
predetermined value is a usage frequency or a usage duration, and
is a value which is determined in advance, or is set by the tenant
business operator or administrator. Specifically, frequencies such
as 4 times, and durations such as 20 hours are respectively stored
as predetermined values in the storage 120. If the usage frequency
is stored as the predetermined value, the license allocator 104
compares the cumulative usage frequency stored in the usage record
information extracted in step S402 with the predetermined value.
Furthermore, if the usage duration is stored as the predetermined
value, the license allocator 104 compares the cumulative usage
duration stored in the usage record information extracted in step
S402 with the predetermined value.
[0185] If the usage record of the resource over the cumulative
aggregation period is the predetermined value or more, the license
allocator 104 extracts license information that stores fee
information relating to a fixed rate structure from the license
information storage area 124 (step S404; Yes.fwdarw.step S406). On
the other hand, if the usage record of the resource over the
predetermined period is less than the predetermined value, the
license allocator 104 extracts license information that stores fee
information relating to a variable rate structure from the license
information storage area 124 (step S404; No.fwdarw.step S408).
Furthermore, in step S404 and step S406, the license allocator 104
allocates a license that satisfies the conditions described in step
S166 of the first embodiment. If a license that does not satisfy
the conditions is extracted, the license allocator 104 extracts
another license.
[0186] The license allocator 104 compares the usage record of the
resource over the predetermined period with the predetermined
value. If the predetermined period is one month and the
predetermined value is a frequency, the license allocator 104
calculates the usage frequency of the resource over the most recent
month based on the usage record information, and compares the
frequency with the predetermined value. In this case, if the usage
frequency of the resource over the most recent month is the
predetermined value or more, the license allocator 104 extracts
fixed rate license information. Note that, in step S406 or step
S408, the license allocator 104 may extract, among the licenses
that can be allocated, the license information of the license
having the lowest cost.
[0187] Then, the license allocator 104 allocates the license
extracted in step S406 or step S408 to the resource extracted in
step S168 (step S168).
[0188] Note that, in the present embodiment, the license allocator
104 determines whether a fixed rate or variable rate license is
allocated by comparing the usage record with a predetermined value.
However, another method may be used. For example, the license
allocator 104 may calculate the fee according to the fee structure
of each license based on the usage record over a predetermined
period (for example, the most recent month), and allocate the
license with the lowest fee.
[0189] As described above, in the present embodiment, the resource
management server is capable of allocating, based on the usage
record of a resource, a fixed rate license to a conference room
with a frequent usage record, and a variable rate license to a
conference room that is infrequently used. Therefore, the resource
management server is capable of reducing costs incurred by the user
when using a resource.
5. Fifth Embodiment
[0190] Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. The fifth
embodiment is an embodiment in which, in the license allocation
processing, licenses are allocated to the resources to be activated
from among all of the licenses, including those that have already
been allocated.
[0191] The present embodiment is also applicable to the first
embodiment to the fourth embodiment, which have already been
described. When the license allocator 104 extracts the licenses to
be allocated to the resources, it includes the number of licenses
that have already been allocated to resources when extracting the
licenses indicated by the number of licenses.
[0192] Specifically, in step S166 of FIG. 9 and FIG. 18, step S222
of FIG. 20 and FIG. 23, and step S406 and step S408 of FIG. 27, the
condition that the license is unable to be allocated to the number
of resources indicated by the number of licenses is excluded.
[0193] If the license allocator 104 extracts a license which is
already allocated, but the license is unable to be allocated to
another resource, it does not have to allocate the license to the
resource to be activated. Furthermore, the license allocator 104
may notify the management terminal device 30 that there is an
insufficient number of licenses that can be allocated to
resources.
[0194] According to the present embodiment, the resource management
server is capable of allocating an appropriate license from among
all of the licenses.
6. Sixth Embodiment
[0195] Next, a sixth embodiment will be described. The sixth
embodiment is an embodiment in which the resource management server
allocates licenses to the resources according to the display order
of the resources in the list display of the resources.
[0196] The present embodiment is also applicable to the first
embodiment to the fourth embodiment, which have already been
described. However, a case where it is applied to the first
embodiment will be described below. The description of the sixth
embodiment will mainly describe the aspects that are different from
the first embodiment.
[0197] The resource information of the present embodiment will be
described with reference to FIG. 28. In the present embodiment, the
resource information stores, in addition to the resource ID, the
attributes, and the license ID, a display order (for example, "1")
indicating the display ranking of the resource information in the
list display of the resources.
[0198] Next, the main processing in the resource management server
10 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to
FIG. 29. In the present embodiment, after adding the resource in
step S106, the controller 100 stores the display order in the
resource information of the added resource (step S602). For
example, the controller 100 stores as the display order a value
obtained by adding 1 to the largest value of the display order
among the resource information stored in the resource information
storage area 122. As a result, the newly added resource is
displayed in the lowest position of the list display of the
resources.
[0199] Furthermore, the controller 100 determines whether or not
the display order of the resources displayed in the list of step
S102 has been changed (step S604). For example, the controller 100
determines that an operation that changes the display order of the
resources has been performed when information is received from the
management terminal device 30 which indicates that the display
order of the resources has been changed. The information indicating
that the display order of the resources has been changed is, for
example, information that enables the resource whose display order
has been changed and the changed display order of the resources to
be specified.
[0200] If the display order of the resources has been changed, the
controller 100 changes the display order of the resources (step
S606). For example, the controller 100 changes the order in which
the resource information transmitted to the management terminal
device 30 in step S604 is arranged based on the information
indicating that the display order of the resources has been
changed. For example, the controller 100 arranges the resource
information in the display order, and then arranges the resource
information in the changed display order by inserting the resource
information of the resource whose display order has been changed
into the position in the changed display order. In this way, the
controller 100 is able to acquire the display order of the
resources after the display order has been changed based on the
order of the resource information.
[0201] Next, the controller 100 stores, based on the display order
of the resources changed in step S606, the display order for each
resource in the resource information (step S608). In this way, the
display order after the change in the display order is stored in
the display order of the resource information.
[0202] Furthermore, if a plurality of sets of license information
was acquired from the license management server 20, the license
allocator 104 performs license allocation processing (step S112;
Yes.fwdarw.step S114). The license allocation processing of the
present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 30.
[0203] In the present embodiment, the license allocator 104
extracts the license having the longest period until the expiration
date, and extracts the resource information at the top of the
display order from the resource information storage area 122 (step
S162.fwdarw.step S662).
[0204] Furthermore, if all the resources to be activated have not
been extracted, the license allocator 104 extracts the next
resource in the display order, and returns to step S166 (step S172;
No.fwdarw.step S664).
[0205] As a result of the processing described above, the license
allocator 104 is capable of allocating licenses from the resource
at the top of the display order.
[0206] When the processing is applied to the other embodiments, the
license allocator 104 extracts the resource at the top of the
display order in step S164 of FIG. 20 of the second embodiment,
FIG. 23 of the third embodiment, and FIG. 27 of the fourth
embodiment. Furthermore, if all the resources to be activated have
not been extracted, the license allocator 104 extracts the next
resource in the display order, and returns to step S164 (step S172;
No.fwdarw.step S164).
[0207] The license allocator 104 may end the license allocation
processing before all the resource information has been extracted
if there are no licenses that can be allocated.
[0208] Furthermore, if a plurality of sets of license information
has not been acquired in step S112, the controller 100 stores the
license ID of the acquired license information in the resource
information, starting from the top of the display order (step S112;
No.fwdarw.step S610).
[0209] Next, an operation example of the present embodiment will be
described with reference to the drawings. In the present
embodiment, a case will be described where a certain tenant has
five conference rooms, and the total number of licenses issued to
the tenant is four.
[0210] FIG. 31 is an example of a display screen W600 displayed on
the display unit 320 when the user uses the management terminal
device 30 to connect to the resource management server 10. The
display screen W600 includes an area E600 that displays a resource
list, and discriminatively displays the top four resources in the
display order to indicate that they are active resources.
[0211] FIG. 32A is an example of a display screen W610 displayed on
the display unit 320 when the resource that is fifth from the top
of the display order is being moved between the resource that is
third from the top of the display order and the resource that is
fourth from the top of the display order by means of a mouse drag
operation. When the user performs a mouse drop operation in this
state, the display order of the resources is changed, such that the
display order of the resource that was fifth from the top of the
display order before the change is now fourth from the top of the
display order, and the display order of the resource that was
fourth from the top of the display order before the change is now
fifth from the top of the display order. Note that the operation to
change the display order does not have to be a mouse drag
operation. For example, it may be an operation that selects a
button that raises or lowers the priority of the selected
resource.
[0212] When a drop operation is performed in the state shown in
FIG. 32A, the management terminal device 30 transmits information
to the resource management server 10 indicating that the display
order of the resources has been changed. The resource management
server 10 changes the display order of the resources and then
stores the changed display order in the resource information. As a
result, before the display order is changed, the display order of
the resource that was displayed fourth from the top is changed and
displayed fifth from the top.
[0213] Furthermore, the resource management server 10 allocates
licenses to the resources based on the changed display order. Here,
because the total number of licenses is four, a license is
allocated to the resource whose display order has been changed from
fifth to fourth from the top. Further, the license is removed from
the resource whose display order has been changed from fourth to
fifth from the top. As a result, the display screen W620 shown in
FIG. 32B is displayed on the display unit 320.
[0214] As described above, in the present embodiment, even when
there is a plurality of licenses, the resource management server is
capable of allocating licenses to resources based on the display
order of the resources. Furthermore, the resource management server
allows the user to change the display order of the resources,
thereby allowing the user to specify the resources to be activated
and specify the resources to which licenses are preferentially
allocated.
7. Modifications
[0215] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments
described above, and various changes may be made. That is to say,
embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately
changed without departing from the scope of the present invention
are also included in the technical scope of the present
invention.
[0216] Further, the resource management server of the present
invention may be arranged in the cloud. As a result, the functions
realized by the resource management server of the present invention
can be provided as a service.
[0217] Furthermore, the embodiments described above have portions
described separately for convenience of description. It is needless
to say that they may be combined within a technically possible
range.
[0218] Furthermore, in the embodiments, the program that operates
in each device is a program that controls a CPU or the like (a
program that causes a computer to function) so as to realize the
functions of the embodiments described above. Further, the
information handled by these devices is temporarily stored in a
temporary storage device (such as a RAM) at the time of processing,
and subsequently stored in storage devices such as various read
only memory (ROMS) and HDDs. Then, the information is read,
corrected, and written as necessary by the CPU.
[0219] Here, the recording medium that stores the program may be
any of a semiconductor medium (such as a ROM or a non-volatile
memory card), an optical recording medium or magneto-optical
recording medium (such as a digital versatile disc (DVD), an
magneto-optical disc (MO), a MiniDisc (MD), a compact disc (CD), or
a Blu-ray disc (BD, registered trademark), a magnetic recording
medium (such as a magnetic tape or a flexible disk), and the like.
Furthermore, in addition to reading and executing the program to
realize the functions of the embodiments described above, the
functions of the present invention can sometimes be realized by
joint processing between an operating system or other application
programs based on the instructions from the program.
[0220] When distributed in the market, the program can be stored
and distributed in a portable recording medium, or transferred to a
server computer connected via a network such as the Internet. In
this case, it is needless to say that the storage device of the
server computer is included in the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE SYMBOLS
1 System
[0221] 10, 12, Resource management server
[0222] 100 Controller [0223] 102 Resource manager [0224] 104
License allocator
[0225] 110 Communicator
[0226] 120 Storage [0227] 122 Resource information storage area
[0228] 124 License information storage area 126 Usage record
information storage area 20 License management server
[0229] 200 Controller [0230] 202 License manager
[0231] 210 Communicator
[0232] 220 Storage [0233] 222 License information storage area 30
Management terminal device
[0234] 300 Controller
[0235] 310 Communicator
[0236] 320 Display unit
[0237] 330 Operation input unit
[0238] 340 Storage
* * * * *